Q&A: Former Griswold Superintendent Elizabeth Osga

Former Griswold Superintendent Elizabeth Osga offered her help in Newtown after the Dec. 14 shooting. For about three weeks afterward, she helped Newtown superintendent Janet Robinson (formerly the superintendent in Preston) and the central office staff run the busy office and keep the Newtown school system going. It was no easy task, she says.

By ALISON SHEA

The Bulletin

By ALISON SHEA

Posted Jan. 29, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jan 29, 2013 at 12:37 PM

By ALISON SHEA

Posted Jan. 29, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jan 29, 2013 at 12:37 PM

Former Griswold Superintendent Elizabeth Osga offered her help in Newtown after the Dec. 14 shooting. For about three weeks afterward, she helped Newtown superintendent Janet Robinson (formerly the superintendent in Preston) and the central office staff run the busy office and keep the Newtown school system going. It was no easy task, she says.

Q: What did you do in Newtown?

A: I was grounding the central office with superintendent decision-making while the superintendent was away at services, memorials, calling hours — it was nonstop for the first week. She had very little opportunity to be in the office, and while she has a very competent staff, they were trying to help with the large number of service providers and services needed.

Q: How did you end up being the superintendent to go out to Newtown?

A: After the incident, everyone has this sense of, ‘What can I do to help?’ I contacted the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, realizing that that organization would be the point for contact, and offered to help at the central office. I know Janet from when she worked in Preston. She was a new superintendent when I was in Griswold, and I never lost contact with her. After something like this, every superintendent in the state wants to help, but this tragedy brought a lot of tension and anxiety in every district. People were assessing their own risks and concerns, their own procedures and vulnerability. Superintendents who wanted to help wouldn’t be able to give her that presence. I had the flexibility.

Q: Outside of immediate response, what involvement did you have with the long-term recovery planning going on in Newtown now?

A: There is a federal grant that will provide some money to help with the long-term Newtown recovery, mostly with mental health. When it comes to long-term recovery, I wrote some potential job descriptions for recovery coordinators, the people who would help. When there is a single death in a school, there is some trauma and recovery work, and certainly some folks who need long-term help. When you’re dealing with this many victims, everyone is connected in some way, whether friends, neighbors, family. A lot more people will need help going forward. The mental health piece will be a big part of the recovery going forward.

Q: What was it like being in Newtown in the days after the shooting?

A: In the central office, the media were not allowed in, which was nice. There were a lot of people coming in — we had a guard outside checking people — especially people who wanted to offer support. We had a lot of Virginia Tech students come by with a banner. One thing we didn’t anticipate was the number of deliveries we had. We were sending all the deliveries and donations to a warehouse to be screened, but people would just come by to drop off food, flowers, what have you. There were a lot of clever ideas — everyone’s hoping their donation makes it into the hands of someone who needs comfort— but there was a strong desire to re-establish the routine and rebuild for the school community, and not spend each day hugging teddy bears. It was difficult, because you don’t want to refuse offers — that might just be the thing that works — but you’re bombarded with offers and opportunities. We’re looking to re-establish a school, not a relief center.

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Q: Any other thoughts on your time in Newtown?

A: When it comes to safety and security, the school had strong standards. There was nothing to fault. There was nothing where you could say, if they had this or if they did that, this wouldn’t have happened. They did the drills, they had the right security mechanisms. I hate to say it was foolproof, but they did everything recommended for safety, and they did it well.